Wen hair care class action law suits

[Darrin]

Hi,

This maybe old news for the forum. Wen hair care products are involved in a class action lawsuit. People have experienced hair loss due to using their products. Just thought I passed this along. Several internet sites are discussing this issue.

Darrin

[Eastbound&Down]

Wow, I was always curious about their products but could never afford it. Sometimes it pays to be broke!

[Islandgrrl]

Interesting. I wonder what the cause is for the hair loss. I used WEN for a short period of time (someone gave me a few bottles after discovering she didn't like the CO method) and I had zero problems with the stuff. In fact, I liked it. Not enough to mortgage my house or sell my firstborn, though, so I didn't continue with it after I ran out. I don't recall seeing anything red flag raising in the ingredients. And of course, his infomercials continue.


Wow, I was always curious about their products but could never afford it. Sometimes it pays to be broke!

[lapushka]

I just wonder if it's not because it's a CO-wash product. There are people who lose tons of hair CO-washing with regular conditioners as well. So...

[AmberLouise]

I use Wen and have used it for over a year, I haven't experienced any hair loss. Then again I don't use it as directed, I use it as a normal conditioner just on my ends.

[shola-faye]

wow scary stuff. I hope it regrows in time for the people involved.

[BambooBeauty]

I love using wen. I haven't experienced any hair loss.

[Islandgrrl]

I did a little searching around and found a couple of things. There is a class action lawsuit alleging that the product causes hair loss. What there does not appear to be is any science behind it that would point to an ingredient or set of ingredients responsible for that loss. It's also unclear whether the loss is from the follicle (as in hair actually falling out) or from breakage (primary mechanical damage or the claimant had crazy damaged hair to begin with). There is also a suit against the company for their sales practices, specifically their autoship program. Apparently if you buy the product you are (or were?) automatically enrolled in their autoship program. Customers were finding it very difficult to stop the autoship and/or get a refund for returned product.

There's probably other stuff out there, but this is what I found doing a rather cursory search.

[endlessly]

I've heard about this issue with Wen a lot in the past, so it doesn't surprise me that there is a class action lawsuit at all!

Not going to lie, but I'm a sucker for infomercials and part of me always loved watching the Wen ones because they're just so damn convincing! And, they always seem to be on T.V. when I'm not feeling the best about myself or my hair, so there have definitely been many times where I've been tempted to order. However, I always research any beauty-related product before I purchase and while the infomercials say one thing, reading reviews from real people is where you're actually going to get the truth. My hair is notoriously difficult, I've tried to CO wash and it was not happy to say the least. So, for my hair, I need a shampoo and I've read so many reviews from people describing a similar hair texture to mine that had nothing but horrible things to say about the product.

Funny story, I went to Mall of America with a few coworkers about one year ago and we'd gone into Sephora to look around when I noticed that they sold Wen. I walked up to look at the bottles - seriously, just to look - and my coworker as well as a few employees there told me to stay far away from it unless I wanted my hair to fall out. All I could think was, wow, this product must be awful if even the employees are trying to steer my away from it! One even said that my hair was too beautiful to ruin with Wen - how crazy is that?!

But, for every person out there complaining of hair issues caused by Wen, I'm sure there's another person out there praising it and how it saved their hair. The truth is that we all can't love the same products because we're not the same. I love Lush products and tell everyone I know how much they've improved my hair, but there are a ton of people out there that absolutely hate them or have tried them and just aren't very impressed. When I used to frequent Sally's Beauty Supply in my area, one of the women working their swore by Wen, but she also had heavily processed, dry hair, so the product worked wonders for her.

In the end, it doesn't surprise me that there is a lawsuit, but I think if there was a bad or dangerous ingredient in the product, they probably would have stopped selling it years ago. Sometimes, people just buy into fads and when they don't see the results they want, they kind of go off the deep end. Like I mentioned before, we aren't all the same - so, what works wonders for me, probably won't work well for anyone else, it's just how it is.

[truepeacenik]

Hmm. If the argument will be that CO washing in general is damaging,will our various comments wind up in discovery?
Would this site, a really big self selected sample of anecdotal evidence, be enough to cast doubt on the problem being product versus methodology?

[lapushka]

Hmm. If the argument will be that CO washing in general is damaging,will our various comments wind up in discovery?
Would this site, a really big self selected sample of anecdotal evidence, be enough to cast doubt on the problem being product versus methodology?

Good point. I doubt they'll need this site to defend themselves, though. ;)

[Larki]

I use Wen sometimes (I normally co-wash with Suave) and have had zero problems with it. My guess is that those people would experience shedding with co-washing in general.

[HintOfMint]

I mean, I would file this under No ****, Sherlock. It has almost the exact ingredients as a thin runny conditioner (think V05) and it's well known that CO washing can cause ridiculous shedding. It's the reason I stopped doing CO.

It's one thing to take an existing product and use it for off-brand purposes because then the buyer shoulders the risk. But WEN advertised itself as a cleansing product to be used like shampoo and left on the scalp for a while and people trusted that was safe, when it wasn't. It's perfectly reasonable to expect shampoo to not make your hair fall out.

[Islandgrrl]

I didn't know it was well known that CO makes hair fall out. I've been doing it for years with no discernible ill effects. My hair isn't any thinner now than it was prior to the CO method.

And if CO is inherently bad (as would be suggested by extensive shedding), why do so many of our members swear by the process? How would CO be any different than slathering on any deep conditioning treatment or hot oil treatment or anything else?

I'm not trying to be obtuse or argumentative. I just don't get it.

[molljo]

I found out recently that my mom had been using Wen and had experienced a significant amount of hairloss when she didn't have much to begin with. Honestly I was a bit angry that she didn't ask for my advice since I have a good knowledge base on washing methods. I could have saved her so much money and hair if I'd known. The whole thing makes me sad.

I agree with most of the posters that people experiencing excessive shedding using Wen is just the coin toss of CO washing. It's wonderful for people it works for, but you have go into it with clear eyes about what may happen.

ETA:
I didn't know it was well known that CO makes hair fall out. I've been doing it for years with no discernible ill effects. My hair isn't any thinner now than it was prior to the CO method.

And if CO is inherently bad (as would be suggested by extensive shedding), why do so many of our members swear by the process? How would CO be any different than slathering on any deep conditioning treatment or hot oil treatment or anything else?

I'm not trying to be obtuse or argumentative. I just don't get it.

Conditioner on the scalp causes hair loss in some people. I don't think there've been any scientific studies on exactly why it occurs to some but not others, but it happens often enough that it's clearly a risk. No one is saying it's inherently bad, just that it's something to watch out for. Many people don't put DTs or oil on their scalps for precisely this reason.

[Rosetta]

I didn't know it was well known that CO makes hair fall out. I've been doing it for years with no discernible ill effects. My hair isn't any thinner now than it was prior to the CO method.

And if CO is inherently bad (as would be suggested by extensive shedding), why do so many of our members swear by the process? How would CO be any different than slathering on any deep conditioning treatment or hot oil treatment or anything else?

I'm not trying to be obtuse or argumentative. I just don't get it.
HintOfMint actually said "it's well known that CO washing can cause ridiculous shedding" (emphasis added), not that it makes hair fall out (for everyone) :) Like Molljo said, that happens to some but not all, as you can attest.

[Islandgrrl]

HintOfMint actually said "it's well known that CO washing can cause ridiculous shedding" (emphasis added), not that it makes hair fall out (for everyone) :) Like Molljo said, that happens to some but not all, as you can attest.

Yes. I should have emphasized the well known part. That's really what I was getting at. I totally didn't know that. I guess my thought was that if it were so well known that it could happen, why would anyone ever take the risk that it could happen? Had I known that it was well known that CO could cause ridiculous shedding, I'd never have tried it. To my detriment, to be sure, but I wouldn't have risked my hair on something that was apparently well known to be so potentially dicey.

I get that with pretty much everything hair related, YMMV. Things are different for everyone. Got it.

[Lavendersugar]

I have used Wen on and off for years. I have used both the Guthy and QVC version. Most blame menthol for the hair loss. Which is odd since some claim it helps hair production. A good bit of people are allergic to menthol and do not realize it because they rarely use menthol type products.
Wen does not have any other odd ingredients that you would not find in many conditioners including salon brands.

CO washing makes me she'd like crazy. When you CO wash you are interacting with your scalp more than when shampooing. I get the same effect if I massage daily.
I think the general public is unaware of what is and what is not normal shedding. On a different forum I have read people getting worried because the had 20 hairs shed in a day. Or the had 10 come out in the shower. There is a big difference between normal shedding and hair thinning. Normal shedding is a good thing.

Years ago I loved Wen. Then I stopped using it due to price.
Most recently when I tried again everything was great until about my 4th bottle. I liked to use the different scents/types. My favorite was the lavender. Something about the scent seemed off. Sure enough each time I used it my scalp would tingle and even feel as if it was burning. I tried the other ones I had open but the same thing happened. Not sure what caused it but I stopped using it. I never had a problem when I used it for about 3 yrs.

As for the autoship I can only guess people did not read before buying the wording was not clear enough. For instance you can get a large kit for $39 but the you will be charged $89 or $119 for the next 3 months. They like to have you buy enough for 3 months then they spread the full price out over that time. It can be confusing.

The Guthy service has improved over the years but not by much. I have over 6 bottles unopened due to them continuing to make a mistake. Nice if I used the product since I was not charged but their shipping errors occurred during the time it started to cause the scalp issue.

Oh and as for the two different versions, one is moisturizing alcohol based and the other is aloe based. QVC and Chaz sell the aloe one and everyone else sells the alcohol based which is the original formula. There is a big difference in the final results, at least to me. The aloe did not seem to cleanse as well but the alcohol one felt heavy at times.

[georgia_peach]

I've used Wen for 1 year and about 4 months. I actually lose more hair when I try to switch back over to shampoo. I've tried other conditioners for CO washing but I haven't been able to find anything else that is perfume free. The Wen Tea Tree (from QVC) is the only one of their formulas that are perfume/fragrance free. It has essential oils but no perfume. I've got no problems with WEN except I'd rather pay less. If I could find a fragrance free conditioner at local store then I'd probably switch.

[Remi]

I have used Wen on and off for years. I have used both the Guthy and QVC version. Most blame menthol for the hair loss. Which is odd since some claim it helps hair production. A good bit of people are allergic to menthol and do not realize it because they rarely use menthol type products.
Wen does not have any other odd ingredients that you would not find in many conditioners including salon brands.

CO washing makes me she'd like crazy. When you CO wash you are interacting with your scalp more than when shampooing. I get the same effect if I massage daily.
I think the general public is unaware of what is and what is not normal shedding. On a different forum I have read people getting worried because the had 20 hairs shed in a day. Or the had 10 come out in the shower. There is a big difference between normal shedding and hair thinning. Normal shedding is a good thing.

Years ago I loved Wen. Then I stopped using it due to price.
Most recently when I tried again everything was great until about my 4th bottle. I liked to use the different scents/types. My favorite was the lavender. Something about the scent seemed off. Sure enough each time I used it my scalp would tingle and even feel as if it was burning. I tried the other ones I had open but the same thing happened. Not sure what caused it but I stopped using it. I never had a problem when I used it for about 3 yrs.

As for the autoship I can only guess people did not read before buying the wording was not clear enough. For instance you can get a large kit for $39 but the you will be charged $89 or $119 for the next 3 months. They like to have you buy enough for 3 months then they spread the full price out over that time. It can be confusing.

The Guthy service has improved over the years but not by much. I have over 6 bottles unopened due to them continuing to make a mistake. Nice if I used the product since I was not charged but their shipping errors occurred during the time it started to cause the scalp issue.

Oh and as for the two different versions, one is moisturizing alcohol based and the other is aloe based. QVC and Chaz sell the aloe one and everyone else sells the alcohol based which is the original formula. There is a big difference in the final results, at least to me. The aloe did not seem to cleanse as well but the alcohol one felt heavy at times.
Interesting...but, CO washing did make my hair shed terribly.

[sourgrl]

I just wonder if it's not because it's a CO-wash product. There are people who lose tons of hair CO-washing with regular conditioners as well. So...

This has always been my feelings when the subject comes up *shrug*

[BlueMajorelle]

I noticed this as well. I just stopped using wen after a couple months, because my hair had become so thin. CO washing does the same thing to my hair.

[RavennaNight]

I've never tried this product, but my friend's mother in law did, and she apparently lost some hair. I've CO'd before, but never have for long stretches, because my hair gets really limp at the scalp after a few CO-washes. I hope whatever the outcome, it will be based on facts. Having read about this on FB a week ago made me re-evaluate just how much experimenting I do, and that I should always be able to narrow down what is working and what isn't. Just for the sake of if I do try a product that causes a bad reaction, I'll know it was that one specific thing. I don't think that Wen or the lawyers for the suit could possibly use any of the posts of this site regarding CO-washing, It's hard to tell who actually did a controlled experiment and who just dabbled around trying everything.

[jeanniet]

I would think they'd have to show that it made the vast majority of people's hair fall out, and I doubt that's the case. Sure, CO increases shedding for some people (as does scalp oiling, etc.). Shampoo increases shedding for others--me, for example, but I doubt I'd get anywhere with a lawsuit against shampoo manufacturers. But I've also seen instances where someone has blamed CO for their thinning hair, and then it turned out they had an actual scalp problem that caused the shedding. Or there could be ingredient sensitivities, or deficiencies, and so forth. Coincidence is not causation, so how are they going to prove that Wen is the actual cause in every single case? The only way I can think of is to isolate every ingredient and demonstrate which one(s) pose a significant risk.

[hennalonghair]

I have never in my life lost so much hair then when I used Wen. It was ridiculous.
In general my hair doesn't like CO but especially not Wen.
I'm not surprised by this but I don't think they will be very successful in proving their case.

[Marika]

I've never tried WEN but I've seen the ingredient lists and they are very average products. I mean that they don't have any 'special' ingredients compared to other conditioners. That's why I'm having trouble believing that particularly WEN causes hair loss. Sure, CO washing makes me shed too but it happens with all the conditioners no matter what brand.

[jeanniet]

I would think they'd have to show that it made the vast majority of people's hair fall out, and I doubt that's the case. Sure, CO increases shedding for some people (as does scalp oiling, etc.). Shampoo increases shedding for others--me, for example, but I doubt I'd get anywhere with a lawsuit against shampoo manufacturers. But I've also seen instances where someone has blamed CO for their thinning hair, and then it turned out they had an actual scalp problem that caused the shedding. Or there could be ingredient sensitivities, or deficiencies, and so forth. Coincidence is not causation, so how are they going to prove that Wen is the actual cause in every single case? The only way I can think of is to isolate every ingredient and demonstrate which one(s) pose a significant risk.

[Wosie]

WEN's shampoo... I read somewhere it's similar to a regular conditioner? So, if I'm understanding correctly, you're basically co-washing twice with a silicone conditioner if you use their shampoo and conditioner? (Please rectify me if I'm wrong, this is very interesting!)

[MandyBeth]

Never tried it as my hair doesn't like CO, plus at one point when I looked, all the products had very irritating ingredients to me.

I throw things at the infomercial. Idiot. My hair is thinner at the ends from natural shed, not because shampoo thins individual strands. But I hate on most infomercials.

[door72067]

I just wonder if it's not because it's a CO-wash product. There are people who lose tons of hair CO-washing with regular conditioners as well. So...

That was my thought. I've never used Wen products, but I've had hair loss issues with other types of conditioners myself.

[Wosie]

I just looked at a (to be fair, rather old [2009]) WEN commercial over at youtube and I had to laugh a few times and say "of course" when they said that "if your hair ever feels waxy or heavy it is because you need to increase the amount of cleansing conditioner you are using". O_O;;

In the video the girl who's washing her hair is putting 48 pumps of the "cleansing conditioner" into her hair (and they state several times that "the more the better"...). Good golly. No wonder people're having issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJfEj-cbQgE

[Kherome]

Wen is just coney conditioner. It boggles the mind that people pay that for it...at least for me. Plus on the infomercials the "before" and "afters" they show state (in tiny print) that the first person had their hair washed with shampoo only, no conditioner. I'm sure they use the harshest thing they can buy too. It's all such a façade.

[schnibbles]

I used Wen for awhile and liked it well enough, but my scalp wasn't very happy. My length loved it though. I wouldn't say it made my hair fall out any more than regular shampoo and conditioner. I totally agree with what lavandarsugar says up-thread. People see 20 hairs in the shower drain and immediately start freaking out. I think the real problem with Wen is that they make all these claims on QVC and the infomercials that Wen will change your hair and make damaged, ruined hair healthy again. So people with excessively damaged hair are drawn in thinking a miracle is about to happen. There isn't a single product around that can erase years off of your hair, we all know that. IMHO Wen kind of preys on people who are either product junkies (like I used to be) or people who have seriously damaged hair and are desperate.

I've heard rumors for years about Class Action Lawsuits against Wen, that's nothing new to me... some folks are just looking for any excuse to sue somebody.

[MINAKO]

I remember i tried this somewhere along the lines when i started off as a CO washer. However, i dont remember it doing anything amazing or otherwise giving me more shed, i just preferred Aveda, B&B and also had a ridiculously large Bottle if Sebastian Conditioner i needed to finish. At some point i was not able to afford fancy stuff and finally figured out a handful of drugstore favorites that have always worked for me since.
Never had any problems with the method at all, but i dont need to wash more than once a week anyways.
I think its easy for people to blame a product for an incident, rather than relying on doing some reasearch themselves first and be educated about the pros and cons of things in general. If a bottle of hairspray instructs to put the head in the oven to lock in the style, some folks would probably try that in a heartbeat, hahaha.

[Larki]

Wen is just coney conditioner. It boggles the mind that people pay that for it...at least for me. Plus on the infomercials the "before" and "afters" they show state (in tiny print) that the first person had their hair washed with shampoo only, no conditioner. I'm sure they use the harshest thing they can buy too. It's all such a façade.

It's not coney. It has amodimethicone (which does not build up) but it's way far down the list of ingredients.

[MINAKO]

I found the advertorial actually pretty reasonable apart from the pump counting, and the voiceover that sounded like fully raw christina on opium, lol.
I can see how some people would need to wash twice, i know i can go through half a bottle of condish in one wash myself, i know combing helps as much as rinsing plenty to make sure hair is as clean as possible. Not that i would care at all times to have my scalp absolutely presentable, even after a wash, but i like the massage and for me it pretty much works just like they have shown there.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I'm not surprised by this, but like others have said I don't think the lawsuit will go far. I think WEN is just a more widely used product to COwash, and so people who never would have tried washing with conditioner tried it and were surprised by their hair loss. It comes with the territory of trying new washing methods, which is something the general public isn't as willing to do as some of us are.

Also count me in as another person who can't COwash without ridiculous shedding. It's a shame because it makes my waves look so nice :( But I'm not willing to lose over 100 hairs just washing my hair for nice waves. (Note, I wash every other day, and with shampooing I lose maybe 20 at most).

[dreamer152]

I doubt the lawsuit will go through, seeing as there isn't much proof. I lost tons of hair while using wen. My mom bought a few huge bottles, then quit using and gave to me. I ended up with a fist full one day. It scared me so I quit using it. I've never done a CO wash other than that, but if that may be the reason for the hair loss, then I won't be trying any others!

[Popsicle]

It was gentle and smelled wonderful when I used it, but it left my fine hair limp and lifeless. I am not their target customer for Wen.

[pixiepaws]

This is an interesting topic. I could never afford WEN, and have tried Co-washing from time to time. I like the idea of no shampoo but always have to go back to shampoo. To be honest I have never had any problems with shampoo. When I have tried Co-washing I have had to give my scalp and extra scrub and sometimes find that my neck feels like it is coated in conditioner. I wonder if it is the extra scrubbing on the scalp due to no lather that could cause people some problems.

[Beverley]

Wow, I am stunned that there are lawsuits against Wen! I have been a faithful user of the original Wen Cleansing Conditioner for over four years, and my hair is in perfect shape -- no tangles, no split ends, plenty of volume, tons of shine. I'm 59 years old, have my hair colored every four weeks. I can't imagine how Wen could cause significant hair loss. It is, of course, time consuming to use, but I would not ever go back to conventional shampoos!

[ReadingRenee]

ACK! I had no idea that CO could cause shedding! I have been a CO washer from way back and also a big shedder from way back. Usually I only wash my hair with shampoo when its shorter. And one reason I cut my hair shorter is because all the shedding drives me nuts. I had no idea. I thought I was being nice to my hair. I guess this has been discussed before? I need to look around for those threads.

[MsVenus]

I have never tried wen but I have co washed for a couple years now. I have dry hair and scalp. I experience hair breakage from drying shampoos. I have started growing hair since I've been on conditioner only. I think that those who have difficulty with co washing may have oilier hair and scalp and they may personally feel the need for a stronger stripping of natural oils from their scalp than co washing offers. Some people also LIKE the feeling of stripped hair devoid of its natural oils. I detest that stripped feeling. Drying hair stripping products like shampoo lead to excessive drying of my naturally dry, curly hair. It also causes snapping, breakage, length reduction and general destruction of my hair. My curly hair dries, tangles, becomes unruly and experiences unnecessary friction damage when I use stripping, drying shampoos. I have good results with conditioner only. The tangles are far fewer, the hair feels silkier, softer and smoother with co washing. I never experience shedding with co washing. Quite the contrary, the hair becomes more supple and stronger. So I imagine you will know if your hair makes you more of a candidate for stripping chemical detergents or for luxurious soothing emollients. I think it will generally come down to natural dryness vs excessive oil production.

PS So, in summary, I personally would like to start a class action law suit against drying, stripping chemical detergent containing shampoos based on their causing dryness and chemical destruction of the hair. I find that just as many do not like using soap on their faces because it causes drying and premature aging of the skin. I feel the same way about unnatural use of detergent soaps on the hair. It strips the hair of natural oils and causes excessive dryness of hair.

[lapushka]

ACK! I had no idea that CO could cause shedding! I have been a CO washer from way back and also a big shedder from way back. Usually I only wash my hair with shampoo when its shorter. And one reason I cut my hair shorter is because all the shedding drives me nuts. I had no idea. I thought I was being nice to my hair. I guess this has been discussed before? I need to look around for those threads.

Yep, some people have massive shedding when they switch to CO. The best thing to do is to try a sulfate-free wash and see if the shedding lessens. If it does, you can blame CO, and it would be pointless to continue then, at least IMO.

[eva888]

My sister used to work for Wen and everyone in my family at one point used it and I saw a huge improvement in the health of everyone's hair. My sister used to have incredibly thin hair and now has really healthy thick hair so she was one of the "before and after" girls used on QVC.

Also I don't think that CO causes shedding, I think the process just makes it happen while you are in the shower so you see it all at once. It freaked me out at first, but I've been doing CO 4 or 5 years now and I still have really thick hair.

But like many others said, the reason I think people should stay away from WEN is because of the price tag! He's basically selling a washing method, not an amazing product. I have since converted my mom to many "dupes" of his products.

[molljo]

Also I don't think that CO causes shedding, I think the process just makes it happen while you are in the shower so you see it all at once. It freaked me out at first, but I've been doing CO 4 or 5 years now and I still have really thick hair.


Just because it wasn't your experience doesn't mean it doesn't happen. As you can see all through this thread, lots of people reported no problems with CO washing, whereas others definitely have, to the point where their thickness dramatically became reduced. It's really important that we acknowledge different experiences here, especially when so, so much of haircare is Your Mileage May Vary.

[lapushka]

Also I don't think that CO causes shedding, I think the process just makes it happen while you are in the shower so you see it all at once. It freaked me out at first, but I've been doing CO 4 or 5 years now and I still have really thick hair.

I'm sorry but there's quite a few people that experience more shedding with CO-washing. I'd hate to discount their experiences.

[ReadingRenee]

Yep, some people have massive shedding when they switch to CO. The best thing to do is to try a sulfate-free wash and see if the shedding lessens. If it does, you can blame CO, and it would be pointless to continue then, at least IMO.

Well, my hair is shorter now so I have just been doing a plain S and C. Maybe this time around I won't switch to CO and see if shedding is reduced from when I usually have it longer. So far, I have very little shedding but my hair is only shoulder length. I did a little searching last night and found lots of people who say shedding is increased with CO. If that was the case for me I could kick myself for not realizing it. We will see. :)

[bnbb2000]

This is surprising to hear! Glad I saw this thread as I was just about to order some...

[eva888]

I wasn't trying to discount anyone's experiences, just sharing my thoughts on the matter. Sorry if I offended anyone!